Passenger vehicles are normally equipped with a rear vehicle compartment for storing a spare tire and transporting items such as groceries and luggage. A conventional passenger vehicle has a trunk that is closed by a deck lid that is hinged to the vehicle body and swings open to provide access to the trunk. On the other hand, a passenger van has a rear cargo compartment that is closed by a lift gate. The deck lid or lift gate is usually equipped with a compartment latch that cooperates with a striker attached to the vehicle body to latch the closure (e.g. deck lid or lift gate) in the closed position.
In order to open the vehicle closure, the compartment latch must be unlatched or opened. Nearly all installations include a key lock cylinder or some other means for unlatching the compartment latch manually. However, power compartment latches that can be unlatched electrically by a switch inside the passenger compartment or by a key fob are becoming very popular.
In the past, power compartment latches have required either a reversible electric motor or a massive return spring to restore the compartment latch to an open position after a power unlatching operation.